Miter saws generally provide support and locate a workpiece being cut by the miter saw with a substantially horizontal table portion and a fence portion. The fence portion is usually perpendicular to the table portion. A workpiece may rest on the table and be pressed against the fence to position the workpiece for being cut by the miter saw. Compound miter saws are often adjustable in two axes, the miter axis and the bevel axis. When the miter saw is adjusted along the miter axis, the miter saw makes a cut on the workpiece generally perpendicular with respect to the generally horizontal table. When the miter saw is adjusted along the bevel axis, then the saw makes a cut on the workpiece that is generally not (but can be if desired) perpendicular with respect to the table but creates a cut at some other angle with respect to the table.
In order to help secure a workpiece being cut by the miter saw and reduce the likelihood of the workpiece from moving out of position while the workpiece is being cut, a fence of the miter saw may be designed and intended to provide positioning and/or support for the workpiece in relatively close proximity to the saw blade.
Typically when a user changes the bevel angle of the miter saw, the fence of the miter saw must also be changed to prevent contact of the fence by the saw blade. In some instances the position of the fence may be changed by sliding a portion of the fence that is slidably attached to a fence base portion away from the blade. Another approach for adjusting the position of the fence is to rotate a pivotally attached portion of the fence into an area that will assure that it does not contact the saw blade. In either instance the user must manually change the position of the fence when the miter saw bevel angle is changed in order to avoid interference between the fence and the saw blade when the saw blade is cutting a workpiece. Certain advantages may be obtained by automating this manual process.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus that will automatically adjust the position of the fence when the bevel angle of the saw is adjusted. It may be desirable to adjust the fence so that it will continue to provide support for the workpiece while the workpiece is being cut by the miter saw at a bevel angle. It may also be desirable to move the fence to a position where the fence does not come in contact with the saw blade when the saw blade is making a bevel cut on a workpiece.